Second time's a charm
by Artsy Libra
Summary: Dying in the dumbest way possible wasn't in her to do list,and being reeincarnated in her favorite anime wasn't either. Though she wasn't complaining. Renamed as Saori Shiranui she must make her own way in the hero society armed with her knowledge and will to help, oh, and her quirk. OC/Si with waterbending quirk (yes, like the one from avatar).
1. Chapter 1

**This is my take on the "what if oc/SI dies and gets reincarnated in her favorite anime giving her the power to change things for better"... You know how this goes. **

**It´s 3:32 a.m. I should be asleep right now, but I had this weird impulse of sitting down to write a bnha fic because I felt like it, so yeah… here's the result of sleep deprivation and 2 cups of coffee. Enjoy!**

**Also, Saori's quirk is heavily inspired in waterbenders from avatar (you know the one with the bald kid, not the one with the blue aliens) This means cool water powers like Katara, (yes, healing and bloodbending included c: )**

**With that being said, thank you for taking the time to read this.**

**NOTE: this is a rewrite of an old fic I wrote that is most likely still collecting dust in the last page of the bnha fics...**

* * *

She was literally bouncing with excitement in her seat. A familiar warm sensation was quickly spreading in her chest as she stared at the screen with bright eyes. The light coming from the TV was the only source of light in her whole apartment helping her get immersed in the Avatar world with ease. The smell of her homemade lasagna was probably the thing that keeps her from fully forgetting about her reality.

"I wish I was that badass," Sira sighed dreamily as she watched Toph metal bend for the first time. She shoved a handful of popcorn in her mouth, dropping half of them back in the bowl.

A sound coming from the kitchen broke Sira from her daze. Her dinner was ready. Finally! She was getting tired of trying to lessen her hunger with her overly salted popcorn. She jumped out of her couch, almost tripping in her Hello kitty blanket with her haste to get to the kitchen.

Her mouth was watering with just the smell, she couldn't wait to taste the little piece of heaven that rested in her oven. She made sure to use her best dish, after all, today was special. It was her first day off after a whole 7 months of drowning with work, she was finally free, (_just for 3 weeks, but she wasn't complaining, well, she was, but that wasn't the point_).

She hummed happily as she cut an uneven chunk of her lasagna. It was a huge slice, but this was one of the many perks of living alone, no one could judge her eating habits. Goodness, if her Aunt Hilda were here, Sira would end up deaf with her shrieks of outrage.

She went twice a week to the gym, so she felt like she earned the right to eat her carbs bomb without guilt.

To top it all, she had bought a wine bottle, maybe not from the best brand, but she was going to enjoy every single drop like it was the fanciest wine in the world. Too bad she didn't own any fancy goblet, her plain glass should do just fine. Maybe she should buy one, just for the sake of feeling like a medieval princess. Not the smartest decision for her finances, but you only live once, and she really wanted one.

She'll order one online after dinner.

Sira made her way back to the couch, navigating with ease in the darkness of her small apartment. She sat down in the same spot, making her old couch creak with the added weight, making her cringe at the sound, she half expected it to break, but when it didn't, she allowed herself to relax and set her food on her lap, not before putting the glass in the space between her thighs.

Life was good.

Katara appeared on the screen, her vivid blue eyes so different from the brown pair that stared back at her movements with awe.

"_Katara is so cool,_" She thought as she took a sip of her wine. The waterbender technique was flawless as she danced around her enemies. Without knowing why, she rose, setting her food and glass on the coffee table. Sira took a deep breath, closed her eyes as her body mimicked Katara´s fighting stance. She probably looked like a dork, but she couldn't care less. Her body repeated the same notions as the character, her brain filled with an image she saw in Pinterest ages ago that supposedly were of water bending moves.

With her eyes closed, she couldn't tell the distance between her and coffee table, so when she abruptly swirled around and her foot caught up in her_ cursed_ Hello kitty blanket she didn't expect the sudden pain that filled her once she reached the floor.

The sound of glass breaking was unmistakable even with the volume of the TV so loud. She opened her eyes as panic took hold of her, her vision was starting to blur and her body was becoming numb. She barely raised her neck to see a red patch staining her shirt. "_Please, let it be the wine."_ She begged to whatever deity pitied her.

She was dying.

She was fucking dying because of her Hello kitty blanket.

_"Oh dear goodness, please don't let anyone find out how I died, let them believe I had a heart attack or something less humiliating, and please don't let me become a meme or let my case appear in a shitty TV Show."_ Was her last coherent thought.

The light from her TV was fading and so were the voices of her beloved characters. So this was it, this was the early demise Sira Bailey.

How stupid.

At last, she closed her eyes. Her soul fading as she took her last breath.

* * *

Pain. She was in a lot of pain. There was no part of her that didn't feel like she was being ripped apart. She wanted to scream, but she found that she couldn't, she felt trapped in the darkness that surrounded her. Was she going to feel like this forever? Was this some sort of punishment for not being a good daughter? Or was it because she wasn't good enough?

Before she could continue with her inner questioning a bright light started to engulf her. She could see how her body was starting to disintegrate, leaving a trail of dust that disappeared into nothing.

For the love of God, she was really dying.

There was a pain in her chest that took her breath away and stopped her disintegration altogether, and before she could recover, it came again, this time stronger. It felt like she was being struck by a lightning.

It came again and again, more powerful than before, filling her with a strange energy that she couldn't quite place.

A beeping noise filled the silence, and then, she opened her eyes.

It was awfully bright. She could already feel a headache coming. She heard someone gasp next to her and she whipped her head in that direction.

She was surrounded by a lot of people dressed in white uniforms. It took her a moment, but the she recognized were she was, "_A hospital." _

She was alive.

Tears threatened to fall, but something stopped her from doing so. There was a man next to her with a freaking cat head. She averted her gaze, scared of what she saw, only to find another animal, a bird of some sort dressed in a nurse uniform. Her heart race picked up and they hurried to restrain her. The bird woman was talking to her in an unknown language that had her frowning the whole time.

"I can't understand what you're saying," She said, struggling to pry her arm away from them. In her distraction, she didn't notice the syringe poking her arm till it was too late.

Her eyes widened, "Let me go!" She shouted, trying to push them off her to no avail. Her eyes were heavy and she was starting to feel tired.

"Fuck," Was the last thing she said before the darkness claimed her once again.

(…)

Homura tightened the grip on her paper cup, successfully spilling its burning content in her pale hand. She barely noticed the liquid sliding in her hand staining her blouse and part of her coat.

The cafeteria was buzzing with people. Their loud voices would have irritated her a few hours ago. Right now she was too numb to care.

"Just because you can't get burnt doesn't mean you can be reckless," Came a playful voice from behind her.

She didn't even bother to look, she already knew who it was, "What are you doing here Tanaka-san?" She asked with barely a hint of emotion in her tone as he sat in the empty seat in front of her.

He fixed his coat, suddenly nervous and discreetly wiped his sweaty hands in his pants, "I heard what happened," He paused, not knowing how to continue without sounding insensitive, "I- um,"

Homura shook her head in dismissal, "If you're here to say you're sorry, don't bother." There was a harshness in her voice that made him sit straighter, "I haven't spoken to my son in years, he means nothing to me." Even if her words were cold, her glassy eyes betrayed her real emotions, the red rim around them was evidence enough of what she'd been doing since she received the call. "I didn't even knew I had a granddaughter," This time, she let a tear fall before she quickly wiped away. "She's 10, her name is Saori, and she looks nothing like him, so I'm grateful for whatever little mercy the heavens have on me."

Tanaka nodded, he knew better than to interrupt her when she was pouring her heart out, it was unusual for Homura-senpai to lost control like she had, but family was family as much as she tried to deny it, she still cared for her son.

"She looks so small connected to all those tubes," She continued, her voice barely a whisper in the air, "So innocent, and different." She took a sip of her now cold coffee as an excuse to gather herself.

"Will you take custody of her?" He asked, unaware of the inner turmoil inside of his senpai.

Her eyes snapped in his direction, and he could clearly see the uncertainty within them, slowly she nodded, "I'm her only relative alive," It was the logical thing to do, wasn't it? Saori was blood of her blood, yet, she didn't know if she had it in her to love her. The little girl was a stranger, a reminder of the fact that she once had a son that adored her. But the mere idea of handing her to state felt wrong, it made her feel disgusting. There was hope for her, the moment Saori had opened her brown eyes Homura had gasped in surprise, shocked to see her regain conscious so fast after the accident.

"She's a fighter," Tanaka offered, as if he knew what she was thinking. "Whatever you choose to do, she'll be fine." He rose, offering her a smile, "You should check on her,"

"I should," She agreed, yet made no motion to stand.

He sighed tiredly, "I'll see you around Homura-San." He nodded at her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Please don't blame the kid. She's innocent of his sins."

Homura bit her lips, smudging her red lipstick as she struggled to control herself, "She doesn't deserve any of this, but I can't," Her body shook with force, she was on fire on the inside. She needed to calm down, "I don't want to make the same mistake again. I'm not qualified to take care of kids,"

"Homura-san you can't-"

"I made my decision." She said, finally standing up, "Thank you for your words." She bowed then left.

* * *

Slowly, she opened her eyes, glad that someone had the decency to turn off the light.

Still, her head hurt. She probably hit it when she fell.

_"Crap, I'm really dumb."_ She cringed at that thought, needless to say, she was burning her blanket as soon as she went home. "Freaking Katara, this is your fault."

Her room was nice, definitely nicer than whatever her insurance could cover. She'll be flooded with bills as soon as she was out. Worst of it, she was probably brought in by an ambulance.

She growled, ripping the white blanket of her frame. She blinked multiple times to get rid of the image that greeted her. She was shorter, almost like a child.

This was ridiculous, whilst she never been super tall, she wasn't this short either. Could it be that she was hallucinating?

As if on cue, the door opened, revealing a blonde woman, a nurse, carrying a tray with an amiable smile on her pink lips.

The nurse started talking and she frowned, "What are you saying?"

The blonde blinked back at her, taken aback momentarily, before returning to her one sided chat.

The words sounded awfully familiar, yet she couldn't understand a single thing.

The nurse settle her tray, and turned around to grab a glass of water, and with her back turned, her tail was exposed.

"Is that a costume?" She asked, startling the woman, this time when she turned, there was concern in her features, the blonde talked again, slower and when she got no answer she left in a rush. Her tray forgotten.

With a lot of effort, she stretched to grab the cup of gelatin. She was starving, after all, her lasagna remained untouched, "_What a pity_." It was most likely covered in flies by now.

Exactly 20 minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Um, come in?" she said unsure.

A doctor came in, he smiled at her "Good morning Saori-chan. I'm Dr. Amano. How are you feeling?" He spoke slowly, his voice slightly accented.

She smiled back, relieved to understand him. "I'm doing well- wait, you called me Saori?"

"That's your name," He said in a matter of fact tone, the smile never leaving his face.

She shook her head, "It's not. My name is-" She paused abruptly, what was her name? Saori didn't feel familiar to her.

He came closer, writing down something in a clip board she didn't know he was carrying, "Yes?" he prompted her to continue.

She was shaking, her mind was blank, she could remember many things, like the fact her favorite color was green and that she didn't like spicy food, but her name, such a simple thing was unknown to her. "I- my name," she licked her lips, "What happened to me?" She asked to change the subject.

He averted his gaze, "You had an accident," He said simply.

Her cheeks blushed in embarrassment, she opened her mouth to talk, but he interrupted her.

"You were in a car accident with your parents," He looked down at her, his gaze full of sympathy, "You were the only survivor. I'm sorry for your lost," He bowed at her, and she wanted to laugh, she would never willingly get in a car with either of them, both were horrible drivers and she hadn't spoken to them this week.

She let out a giggle and he took a step back, shocked at her reaction. She needed a psychological exam and another tomography, it was more than obvious that she wasn't okay. "Where did you learn English?" He asked in a lighter tone.

She stopped her giggling and frowned, "When I was younger," She answered, confused at the question.

"Why don't you speak Japanese?"

"Why would I?" She retorted, feeling goosebumps on her exposed skin.

"Well, we are in Japan,"

"Japan," she repeated, no, this wasn't okay. This was a dream. Alarmed, she pinched her arm to wake up. The Dr. rushed to her side, stopping her from harming herself.

"I know you must be in a state on fear and confusion, but please stop." He said, and she obeyed, her body was frozen.

"How?"

He smiled again, "Is my quirk,"

"Quirk?" _as in quirk in Boku no hero academia?_ Was left unsaid, "Who saved me?"

"Pro hero Eraserhead was the one that got you out of the car. You were unharmed, your quirk protected you." His eyes were shining with admiration as he spoke of the man.

_Her quirk? She had a quirk? She wanted to puke,_ "I need to use the bathroom, please."

He moved aside, offering his arm for her to take, she did, and quietly they walked to the bathroom, "You need help?"

"No, I think I can manage." She locked the door behind her and rushed to the toilet, she emptied her stomach till her throat burned and Dr. Amano was knocking, asking if she was alright, she wanted to scream that, no, she wasn't fucking alright. Instead she gave a weak yes as she walked towards the mirror. She could barely see the top of her head, so she retorted to use a metal potty to stand. She prayed that it was sterilized properly or else she'll have to soak her feet on Clorox for the rest of her life.

The reflection that stared back at her wasn't any different than her old self. She was younger, yes, but her black hair and brown eyes remained the same, her skin was the same beige shade, even the beauty mark below her right eye was there. The same, she was the same yet so different. Dr. Amano had said she had a quirk, she wondered what it was, hopefully something cool.

She opened the sink to rinse her mouth and her improvised stand gave in under her weight.

She closed her eyes and stretched her hand to grab the water, not realizing the stupidity of her action.

She waited for the impact, but it never came. Instead she was suspended in an awkward angle. The water from the sink had taken the shape of a tentacle of sorts and had grabbed her hand.

"Fuck," she muttered, the tentacle vanished with a loud splash that wet her face, "Fuck," she repeated, staring at her hand with awe, "I'm a waterbender!"

* * *

**Thank you for reading! let me know what you think of Saori's.**

**Fun fact: Reviews are greatly appreciated and taken into consideration c:**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Saori Shiranui. _**

That was her name in this new life.

_It made her_ _sick._

In her third day being hospitalized, a woman came in, claiming she was her legal guardian and that she would take care of little Saori now. There was no affection in her tone, and no indicator that she wanted Saori to be part of her life. She even sounded like a robot when she spoke.

Saori couldn't complain though, it was unexpected, but she was relieved that she wouldn't have to live alone in this new world.

She spend another 2 weeks in the hospital, it was a nightmarish experience that she never wanted to repeat. Her days were busy with doctors and nurses coming in and out of her room every hour, and when she wasn't being poked or examined with weird machines, she was having session's with a therapist. It was mostly to make sure she wasn't traumatized, since her reaction to the accident wasn't deemed normal by Dr. Amano.

She didn't mind them at all. She mostly sat down for 45 minutes and lie, since she couldn't remember shit from this new life. Sometimes she added some stuff from her previous live as Sira Bailey. She had remembered her name in one of the session. One moment she was calmly talking about the time she felt in the park and then the memories of her mother calling her name invaded to her.

She had cried, and Dr. Ayano, her therapist, offered her a tissue and send her back to her room.

She cried every night for a whole week after that, she wanted to mourn the life she had lost to the evil clutches of hello kitty.

Also, none of the doctor could find out the reason as to why she didn't speak Japanese, after many studies they deducted that the language was never taught to her regardless of her family residing in japan.

Her family, that was a whole story on its own, Saori knew it was insensitive of her to feel nothing for them, their deaths didn't affected her in any way, no more than an stranger's would. She had felt horrible after she realized that, but deep down she knew it wasn't her fault. They were strangers to her, and will always be. Her real parents were Oliver and Marina Bailey and nothing, not even dying could change that fact.

She was released exactly a month after her admission, her grandma who hasn't bothered to visit her often, stood next to her as they waited for their ride.

Saori was always tense around the older woman. Homura Shiranui defied the universal stereotype of grandmas. She did have short gray her though, if that even counted for something. She wasn't loving in any way, her gaze was colder than the arctic and her smiles were scarce, none of them were directed at Saori, and she doubted they'll ever be. Homura was a confident woman, the way she presented herself was something to admire, and whenever she was next to her, Saori felt small and insignificant, like a rock in her shoe.

Homura was a doctor, and she was damn good in her job. Her quirk made sure of it. The Regeneration of cells was a rare quirk even in this world.

As soon as Saori realized where she was, she took it as a personal mission to ask everyone she meet about their quirk. Most of them weren't even related to their physical appearance which shocked and excited her all the same.

Homura's quirk wasn't flashy nor it affected her psychical appearance. She looked as normal as people could be in this world, just like Saori, which she was extremely glad for, she couldn't imagine her reaction if she had woken up with a bird head like Tokoyami's or completely invisible like Hagakure. She shuddered at the mere idea of being like Mineta.

A black car parked in front of them, cutting short her inner ramblings.

A suited man exited the vehicle and walked towards them, his wrinkled face was expressionless as he greeted Homura and then her, "My name is Takahiro Youta, pleasure to meet you," He bowed at her, and it took her a few seconds to return the bow, she wasn't used to greeting people like this, usually a simple nod would suffice.

Takahiro said nothing more as he opened the door for them, she climbed in first, her short legs were a nightmare to move around. She couldn't wait to grown up…

Crap! she forgot about puberty.

The ride was silent and awkward, at least to her, she had only spoke once to ask Takahiro if he could turn on the radio and her grandma stern gaze was enough to shut her.

Saori wanted to ask her what was the problem with her, if she didn't want to take care of her she might as well left her to fend for herself. Though she was aware that lashing out at Homura would do her no good.

She was 10, only 8 years till she was old enough to move out on her own. It seemed so far away. She sighed and sunk further in the leather seat, cringing when it made a weird sound and Homura and Takahiro glared at her.

They arrived to their destination an hour later. Saori swallowed hard, she was positive that just the gold statue of Buddha in the garden was more expensive than everything she had owned in both lives.

The house was a traditional Japanese house, though that didn't come as a surprise, just one look at Homura and she could tell the woman respected traditions above anything else.

The car parked right in front of the house, where a group of 6 people were waiting for them. Their black and white uniforms indicated they were the maids, except for the man in the far corner, his blue overall covered with patches of dirt screamed he was the gardener.

They bowed, and she bowed back. They introduced themselves, so many names were bound to give her a headache.

"Hanako will show you your room to freshen up. Your tutor will arrive in an hour." Homura informed her, as she walked inside.

Saori ran to catch up to her, "My tutor?" she asked bewildered.

The older woman frowned, making the wrinkles in her forehead more prominent, she looked so offended that Saori stopped in her tracks, "You expected me to leave you uneducated?" She huffed, a few of her gray hairs escaped her tight bun making her look scarier, "You don't know how to speak japanese or write it! I can't believe he-" she clenched her fists and pressed her lips together. "Next week you will start going to school," She said at last, before disappearing in a room.

Saori growled, she couldn't believe she was going back to middle school. At least this time around she'll be more prepared.

Next to her a timid feminine voice called, "Come."

She assumed this was Hanako and followed behind her.

Her room was bigger than her old apartment and she couldn't help but gape at the size of it. Like the rest of the house, it looked straight out of the Edo period. Thought she liked the sensation of the tatami under her feet, she didn't look forward to sleep in a futon. The only piece of technology was a computer and phone that lied on top of a wooden desk. There was a wardrobe, a bookshelf and _that was it._

Despite being the opposite of her usual style, she liked it. Homura said she had an hour till her tutor arrived, meaning she had one free hour.

Hanako was gone, so she took the opportunity to use the computer, her trembling fingers quickly typed her name in a translator, copied the kanji and pressed enter. Multiple articles appeared in the screen, but she clicked the one that included a video with subtitles. _Technology was wonderful in this world._

The quality was awful. She could barely made out a few shadows moving around when a speeding car appeared in the shot followed by 3 police cars. She held her breath when the car lost control and swirled around at high speed falling in a river. A black shadow stole her attention and she moved closer in hopes of making out the shape. It was a person that was for sure, she gasped when she saw them jump in the water. Moments later he came out, Aizawa Shouta, _no_, _Eraserhead_, holding her tiny body with such a protectiveness that made her warm and fuzzy on the inside.

She read the article, her eyes skimmed through most of it till she found the name of her parents, Shiranui Hayato and Matsuri Kato. It didn't matter how much she tried, she wasn't sad by their lost. They were strangers to her, she had felt more emotion seeing Aizawa holding her than seeing their photos. Her father looked nothing like her, he had the brightest blue eyes she'd ever seen accompanied by a wild mane of red hair, and her mother, she was the one Saori supposed she took after, she was quite the beauty to be honest, Matsuri had a similar face shape, her hair was black and her eyes were brown as hers just a tiny bit lighter. She scrolled down, uncomfortable with the fact that they looked so much alike. Instead she focused on reading, her father wasn't exactly the best human in the world, and it seemed he liked getting in trouble, yet the article never mentioned the word villain, so she guessed he wasn't that bad, or who knew, he could be as bad as Shigaraki, or worse.

_Interesting_.

She closed the tab, whispered a prayer and then pasted Aizawa's name on the search bar. Many videos popped immediately and she wasted no time in clicking the first one.

She clicked video after video like some obsessed maniac, not paying attention to the clock displayed in the right corner of the monitor. Time went by faster than she expected, and soon Hanako's soft voice informed her that her tutor had arrived.

She immediately closed the tabs, her heart racing wildly in her chest as if she'd been caught doing something illegal. Hanako paid her no mind, she just limited herself to raise an eyebrow at her clothes.

Her pink brows furrowed in confusion,"No shower?" Hanako asked.

Saori was slightly ashamed, she'd been so concentrated in her quest to watch all of Aizawa's videos that she forgot to do the one thing her grandma had asked, "I forgot," she admitted, playing with the hem of her shirt in a nervous manner, "I'll do it later." She promised, her cheeks blushed with embarrassment as she looked down.

Hanako didn't answer right away, seeming to ponder at her words, and moments later her face lit up, "Okay. Come," she simply said, exiting the room with Saori trailing behind.

They walked in silence, Hanako a few steps ahead as Saori stayed in the back to try to comb her tangled hair with her fingers. Without warning, the maid stopped, making Saori bump with her back and hit her nose painfully.

Hanako didn't seem to notice, she limited herself to slide the door open and bowed her head to her tutor. No pleasantries were exchanges between the two as Saori entered the room. It was plain, devoid of any decoration besides the plant in the far corner, a table resided in the middle, occupied by a mountain of books along with a paint brush and a pot with black ink. On the other end, there was a piano and Saori resisted the urge to run towards it. Learning how to play the piano had been one of her frustrated dream in her past life.

The maid left as soon as Saori step in, leaving her alone with an unknown man. His navy hair was perfectly slicked contrasting heavily with the bright yellow shade of his eyes and pale skin, his clothing, like everything else, was traditional. He wore a plain olive green yukata, devoid of any design besides the gold thread in the hem of the sleeves. Unsure of what to do, she bowed, her hair acting as a curtain blocking her view from the man, making it impossible to see him walk towards her.

Pain erupted in the back of her calves, forcing Saori to her knees. Her mouth set in a hard line, her tiny fist clenched at her side, yet she didn't dare to look up.

"Horrible," He spoke with disdain.

Something smooth and cold rested in her chin. A bamboo stick was used to raise her head so she could meet his gaze.

"You have the grace of a peasant," He criticized taking a step back, he bowed, "My name is Masaru Nori, I'll be your tutor from now on." He spoke in perfect English, no accent present in his pronunciation.

Saori bit her tongue, she wanted to ask what the heck was wrong with her bow, but the sadistic gleam in his gaze was a clear promised of more pain.

_"What had she gotten herself into?"_

Instead of arguing, she lowered her head, imitating Sayuri's bow from Memoirs of a Geisha. Thank goodness it was her favorite movie, or else…

"My name is Shiranui Saori, please take care of me,"

Pleased with her submission, he indicated her to stand, "There's different types of bows. It's essential for you to know when to use them…"

Her lesson ended late in the night, with the moon high in the sky and the crickets repeating their loud concert, Nori-san was finally gone, not without leaving a pile of homework for her.

Covered in blooming bruises and dry ink in her arms, Saori made her way back to her room in a daze. She wanted to cry, impotency and anger were bubbling in the pit of her stomach since the beginning of her lesson. Each step was more painful than the previous, stopping her from running off to hide under her covers to cry.

"Saori-sama," Hanako called, seemingly appearing out of thin air, "Let me help,"

Saori rested most of her weight in the pink haired girl, "Thank you, Hanako-san."

The maid dragged her back to her room and when Saori walked in a bee line to the futon, she stopped, "Shower. You promised." She said, eyeing the ink marks that covered most of her arm and clothes.

"I promise," Saori said tiredly, turning her heels, "Lead the way."

* * *

**(...)**

If someone had told her that being rich was not as good and glamorous as the media painted it, she would've laughed in their face, claiming they were jealous of the fabulous life of the high class, but now that she was experiencing it first hand, she wanted to take back all those prayers she wasted whenever she bought a lottery ticket.

She missed her easy going life, when her only worry was to get on time for work and remember her family birthdays. To say she hated living here was an understanding, no amount of fancy clothes and exotic food would made Saori change her mind. Whilst her grandma didn't abuse her physically or verbally, her lack of interest and care for her own granddaughter was evident. Even the staff had realized that the newer addition to the household wasn't being treated like she was part of it. Pitying glances and whispers followed whenever she walked around the house or the gardens, especially after she finished her daily lessons with her tutor covered in angry red markings all over her body.

At most, the only satisfaction she had was playing the piano, she wasn't close to being the next Beethoven, but she was happy to find that playing the instrument came almost naturally to her.

One of the good things that came with being hit, was that she could practice with her quirk. She assumed it was a sort of mutation of her grandma's quirks. Her healing factor was amazing, all of her bruises and scratches were gone in 10 minutes top, making her wonder if she could speed up the process. Taking baths was her favorite thing to do, being surrounded by water made her feel, like a fish in the sea. Corny, she knew, but there was no other way to put it.

Saori was careful every single time she practiced her _water-bending_ moves, she would hate to die again because of her stupidity. She practiced them first without water, focusing more in engraving the movements in her muscles. She was 10 years old, meaning that she was considerably behind when it came to quirk progress for most kids her age.

Still, that helped fuel her motivations, which, she had no idea what they were. Being a hero had crossed her mind more times that she would like to admit or cared to remember, but the true is, Saori wasn't sure she was cut for that lifestyle. But she couldn't help but get goosebumps every time she saw Aizawa fighting. One of her goals was to find him, to thank him for saving her life and giving her another chance. It was her main motivation. She needed to see him again. Though it was almost impossible because the man was hard to track. His secluded life away from the prying eyes of the media made it difficult to find any useful information about him besides the obvious, like his age and early years as a hero.

Saori wouldn't give up though, they'll meet again.

She'll make sure of it.

* * *

**(...)**

Was is normal to be this nervous about going to school? Especially to someone who was going for a second time?

_This should be easy._

Except it wasn't.

Takahiro stopped the car in front of her new school, he wasted no time in opening her door and wishing her a good day with his usual monotone voice.

Saori was speechless, so she just nodded and muttered, "You too," Before she started walking with no direction in mind. The crumpled paper clenched in her sweaty hand was unsurprisingly written in Japanese, making it hard for her to decipher what it said. She had tried asking Hanako, since she got along with her the most out of all the people in the house, but with the pinkette limited English she could only made out the word "second floor."

She had briefly considered asking her grandma, but the woman seemed busy with work the whole week so that option was scratched as soon as it came. Her tutor was out of the question, she didn't want to give him more reasons to think she was dumb.

So here she was, standing alone and lost in front of a school, that funnily enough, resembled the school most anime showed. It looked like Kagome's high school from Inuyasha's. She half expected to see the hanyou show up. _He didn't_, so Saori resumed her walk.

She reached the second floor, gasping for air. New goal unlocked, raise stamina. She unclenched the paper in her hand, the words 5-A. She smiled at her small victory, scanning the plaques on top of the doors till she found the one she was looking for. She swore she heard an angels choirs in her way there.

"Good morning," She greeted in Japanese, hoping she didn't had an accent. Everyone turned in her direction, some of them returned her greeting, but quickly resumed whatever they were doing before her interruption.

She noticed with glee that she had arrived early. Her gaze darted around the classroom, the seats had their name written in bold black ink.

She found hers, right in the middle of the room. Saori was grateful she had learned how to write her name or else she would be telling a different story now.

It was uncomfortable for her to seat in the wooden chair. It's been so long since the last time she sat in one of these, so her butt was screaming at her in 5 different languages and none of them were japanese.

Next to her was a girl taller than her, but the baby fat in her face made it obvious that they were the same age. Her black hair was styled in a ponytail that spiked at the ends defying the laws of gravity, "_How funny, she reminds me of_..." "Momo!" She exclaimed making the other girl jump. Saori blushed, hiding her face with her hands. _Why was she like this._

"Yes?" Momo said, turning to face her.

_Quick, say something,_ "Sorry, I really like your name." Wow, she was the worst liar in the world. Realizing she spoke in English, Saori was ready to apologize and tell another lie, but Momo's face was tinted with red as she smiled at her.

"Thank you," Momo said in English, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Saori resembled a gaping fish, "You speak English," She pointed at the girl, "That's so cool, not many adults know the language," She beamed at Momo.

"My parents hired a tutor. They made sure I learned other languages besides Japanese. What about you? Saori-san doesn't have an accent like I do."

Her grandma had talked with her this morning about this, so she just repeated what Homura had said, "I lived abroad with my parents most of my childhood, they died a month ago so now I'm under the custody of my grandma." At the mention of her parents death, Yaoyorozu face lost any hint of color, and pale as a ghost she rose from her seat, smoothing down her skirts as she walked towards her. Her arms hooked around Saori's neck, surprising her, she never thought Yaoyorozu was one to give hugs, reluctantly she returned.

"I'm sorry for your lost. If you need to talk, I'm here." She whispered.

Saori was touched, the same sensation she felt when she saw Aizawa's holding her returned at full force, "Thank you, Yaoyorozu-san, it means a lot to me." She said sincerely, blinking rapidly to get rid of the tears that threatened to fall, she didn't want to be seen as a crybaby on the first day of class.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A new friend.

Her homeroom teacher was a serious man. At first, Saori's had innocently thought that he would take her situation into consideration. Sadly, her expectations were broken as soon as he started to speak Japanese like his life depended on it. The words flowed quickly from his mouth as he greeted his class and placed his briefcase at the side of his desk, before producing a piece of chalk from one the drawers. With his back turned to them, he began to write in the old school blackboard producing an annoying sound every time the chalk made contact with the surface. It made her want to cover her ears, she wasn't used to this, has this man never heard of whiteboards and markers?

Momo was back in her seat taking notes, making Saori scream internally. How on earth was she supposed to take notes when she could barely write her own name? Bet Homura didn't think this through, or maybe she did and didn't care enough to do something about it.

"Just copy the symbols." she told herself as she opened her notebook. It couldn't be that hard, right?

She was awfully mistaken if she thought it would be as simple as copying some random patrons. Her writing was, horrible to say the least, each line resembled the shaky work of an infant. It made her burn with shame when Momo's notes looked like they belonged in an imprinted book. Every once in a while, her seat neighbor would gaze in her direction with an unreadable expression, forcing Saori to look away and concentrate in the lecture.

Despite the language barrier, she was pleased to find that she wasn't completely doomed to failure. Yes, the writing was different but the procedures were the same, and surprisingly she found herself standing up to solve one of the math problems their teacher was explaining.

She wasn't a genius by any means, but not being able to solve an 5th grade math problem would be downright insulting for her pride.

Maybe this time around she could be part of the honor roll.

* * *

Lunch time came faster than she would've like. Her back was pressed in the hard texture of a tree bark that worked wonderfully to shield her from the sun rays. She was still full from her breakfast feast. Saori had guessed that Momo most likely wanted to sit with her own friends and she didn't want to be the awkward new girl in the group.

How does one make friends? Things were easier when she, too, had the mentality of a child and could talk with kids without problem. But being a 20 years old trapped in a child's body made her incredibly self-conscious of her words and how they could affect the people around her.

She didn't want to create a butterfly effect by accident, but to be honest, something told her that her mere existence in this world was enough to throw things off balance.

She opened her bento box, deciding that it would be wise to eat now so her rumbling stomach won't interrupt the class later on.

Her lunch consisted of an egg salad sandwich an apple, homemade cookies and her favorite orange juice box. Earlier, when she had woken up by the smell of food she had entered the kitchen like a zombie, startling Hanako-san, who was busy chopping a carrot for a salad. Saori´s eyes had widened at the amount of food displayed. Would they be having guest over for breakfast?

When she had expressed her concern, the pinkette had paused her chopping, and with the sweetest smiles, told Saori that all of that was meant to feed her and her grandma.

Saori overcame her shock, just in time to stop Hanako from overloading her bento. "I don't eat much," She had said. "A sandwich would be enough."

Hanako, bless her kind soul, had understood and simplified her meal, not before making her promise she would eat properly in front of grandma.

She had nodded, unsure of what the pinkette meant till breakfast came. Homura sat across from her, silently judging her eating habits. It wasn't her fault her stomach wasn't in the mood to digest fish at 6:30 am.

"Eat more. It's not correct to waste food." Homura said, loading her granddaughter plate with the same amount of food in her own plate.

Saori sighed at the memory, having finished her sandwich, she rose from the grass, her bento box secured in her grip, she started to make her way back to her classroom.

She took a bite from her apple, ignoring the horrified looks she received from the onlookers at her disgusting act of eating the peel. Cultural differences were going to be the death of her.

Sliding the door open, she was astonished to find Momo in the same spot she had left her, the only difference was that now she was reading a book as she took a bite from her rice ball.

The classroom was empty, besides the two girls, and Saori was able to connect the dots.

She approached the unsuspicious girl slowly, and took her seat next to her. Saori opened the bag that contained her cookies, and offered them to Momo with a smile, "My maid told me to share them with my friends," Momo didn't react for a solid 20 seconds, instead opted to stare in bewilderment at the cookies and at Saori's unwavering smile.

After what seemed like an eternity, she grabbed one. "Thank you."

"I helped baking them," Saori said taking a bite of her own, Momo copied her, "Do you like them?"

Her black eyes lit up as she nodded, "They're delicious." She said after swallowing.

Saori grabbed a handful of them and put them in Momo's hands, "Here, have more."

"I shouldn't," She shook her head, looking down, "You'll leave your other friends without cookies," She explained sadly.

Saori hummed, biting down in another cookie before answering, "I don't have other friends," She shrugged her shoulders, not really affected by her statement, and then an idea popped in her head, "Unless you don't want to be my friend?" She lowered her voice, feeling dumb for thinking that Momo would be her friend just like that, "I'll understand if you don't want to."

Vigorously, Momo shook her head, scattering cookie dust all over her desk and uniform, "I want to be your friend," She sounded shy, and Saori wanted to hug her. "I don't have many friends because all I do is read and," She looked down at the cookies in her hand, "I'm not good with talking."

If she remembered correctly, Momo had self-esteem issues when she entered in U.A, often doubting her own capabilities as a hero, "That's alright, I don't mind the silence. I'll talk for the both of us if necessary, and if someone says something nasty to you I'll kick their ass."

Momo gasped in surprise before she started giggling, "You said a bad word." She teased.

Saori's lip twitched as she smirked, out of everything she had said, that is what she choose to focus on, yet the glossiness in her eyes was unmistakable, "I swear like a sailor, so you better get used to it."

* * *

2 months later, she was still struggling to learn the language, and Momo being the sweet girl she was, offered to explain the lessons to her after class.

So far, that was her routine. It could be worse, really. She was grateful she had a roof over her head, warm food and bed/futon waiting for her after she was done with her day. Yet, she couldn't help but wish that, at least her grandma showed some interest in her progress and that her tutor stopped mocking her mistakes. She always thought she wasn't the type to crave for others approvals, but here she was, sitting in her room with a cramping wrist practicing her writing.

She would show them and rub it in their faces. Especially Nori-san, daily she wished he ate expired fish and ended up with chronic diarrhea or something because the man was getting on her nerves. Even the way he talked annoyed her.

She couldn't wait to be over with this and be free to practice with her quirk. Thinking about it, these past months she hadn't given much of a thought to her powers. She practiced her moves every day, but she hadn't tried to actually use water. She didn't want to ruin her room and mostly, she was afraid she might blood bend someone on accident.

The idea that she was able to do such a thing didn't make her felt awful like she had expected, on the contrary she has spent a good 20 minutes thinking how it could be used to save lives. That thought had brought a tsunami of ideas in her head.

Did she want to be a hero?

She had dismissed the idea as quickly as it came. Certainly, she wasn't hero material. Her quirk on the other hand… She could help so many people, and even if it hurt to admit, she didn't want to live another boring live, she had been given a second chance for a reason. Besides, with her knowledge the possibilities were endless, and her mom had the audacity to say reading manga wouldn't be of use in the real world.

"Are you paying attention?" Momo's voice brought her back to reality.

"No, sorry. Can you repeat it?"

Momo began talking again, making sure to speak slowly for Saori's sake.

_"No more daydreaming. I can't disappoint Momo,"_ Saori thought as her hand copied the kanji from the book, _"I can think later, now I need to focus."_

With new found determination, Saori finished the rest of the symbols, earning a round of applauses from Momo, "They are a little… rough," her friend said as gently as she could, "You need to keep practicing. But they are legible." She complimented in a final thought.

Saori nodded, she was aware, but hearing it from Momo made her more determinate to learn, "It's all thanks to you, Momo-chan. You're the best sensei I could ask for!" She exclaimed.

"Nonsense, you're the one doing most of the work. I'm just explaining what the book says," Momo looked down, and Saori leaned closer to give her an awkward hug.

"Don't be silly, if you weren't here I'll be lost," Saori said, patting her friend in the head, "I'm grateful for your help, you're more than enough, more than I could ask for."

After she said that, Momo finally returned the hug.

Momo, (like Saori herself) had a very advanced vocabulary that made most kids look dumb next to her. It wasn't her fault her quirk required her to literally be a walking dictionary, whilst Saori wasn't on Momo's level, she was smarter than most kids thanks to the fact, that, well, she was 20 years old trapped in a child body. But that was beside the point, the thing was that she was the second smartest person in her class. And damn, it felt good to be congratulated by her teachers.

Perhaps, she was indeed the type to crave for others approval. Was she surprised? Not at all.

Since the beginning of her friendship with Momo, she noticed that the girl seemed less reserved than usual. She smiled more often, and tried to participate more in sports.

Saori was proud to say the least, she wouldn't be so self-centered to pretend it was all thanks to her, after all, it was Momo's wish to socialize with her classmates that pushed her to do those things.

Homura was pleased with her choice for a friend, it seemed the Yaoyoruzu's were incredible rich and influential people that were greatly respected all over Tokyo. Maybe Saori should go and befriend Bakugou just to spite the old woman.

"I should go now, it's almost time for dinner." Momo said standing up and Saori followed suit.

"I walk you outside."

They walked in silence till they reached the door, Saori pulled the girl for a quick hug before waving goodbye. Momo's driver was already waiting outside as per usual, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Momo waved back, before she entered the vehicle and exited the state.

After a week of knowing each other Saori had explained to her friend that the situation in her household wasn't ideal, and after meeting Homura for the first time Momo finally understood why Saori choose to stay after class to practice instead of going home. The woman was evil incarnated, and the fact that she had been ready to throw Momo out of the house before she introduced herself and the old woman eyes lit up at the mention of her last name.

Saori had apologized as soon as they reached her room. She was embarrassed from her grandma behavior and wished that they could still be friends after that awful display. Momo had assured that everything was fine much to her relief.

Needless to say, they barely meet in her house, they usually stayed after school or she'll end up going to the Yaoyorozu state, and to her relieve, Momo's family weren't stuck up snobs. They were polite and mostly let them do their own thing as long as they didn't got in trouble they had no issue with their friendship.

Leaving all of these aside, Saori had other issues to take care of. For example, she was 100% positive she didn't want to live with Homura till she graduated high school. The idea to endure her negligence for many years make her sick. Obviously, the only solution to this was to become independent. She doubted she would be allowed to emancipate being this young, but there was always the possibility of running away.

She'd lived alone before so it wasn't like she would be throwing herself into something foreign. The problem was, that she had no money to even afford a cheap hotel room. Unless she asked for an allowance. It wasn't a bad idea, it made sense in a way. Grandparents are supposed to do that, aren't they? Still, she needed to prepare some convincing arguments in case Homura refused.

She could do that, and also, she could try to find a job. It would be hard, if not impossible with her current age, but it's not like she was planning to start working in an office, maybe she could try her luck in the convenience store near school. The owner was a tall man with pierced ears and poorly dyed blonde hair (that clearly needed a retouch) that always seemed to look bored. Despite his outer appearance, Saori wanted to believe he was a good man.

Tomorrow she would try her luck. But for now, she wanted to practice her moves.


End file.
